Family Survival | Food Preservation

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at
5:21 pm

Family Survival | Food Preservation Process

Food Preservation by Canning

I remember as a boy waking up to the strong smell of a .strong vinegar aroma that came from my mother’s kitchen. I knew she was starting the food preservation process via canning. I should have suspected it by picking so many cucumbers the day before that they soon would be canned for future consumption. My favorite canning times when I enjoyed helping my mom the most was the canning of jellies and jams. The second favorite was the fruit such as apples, cherries, peaches and raspberries which were grown in abundance in the area we lived in. To have such bounties of food when I was young stored away for future enjoyment I thought we were rich but I realized as I grew older it was a matter of family survival. All of us working together in the garden picking fruit, peeling, prepping, canning, storing all in the root cellar was for preserving food for family survival. Today we may want to consider food preservation through canning I liked the article on pioneerliving.net it was helpful to get in the canning game again.Here is some good

To can means to heat process food in a glass jar with a lid in place. Processing kills microorganisms — bacteria, yeasts, and molds — that contaminate food and cause food spoilage and/or food borne illness. Processing can be done in a water bath canner or a pressure canner, depending on the food’s acidity.

Acid foods (all fruits except unacidified figs) can be safely processed in a water bath canner. Acidified tomatoes and figs can also be safely processed in a water bath canner. Microorganisms in or on acid foods are easily killed at 212 degrees F (the temperature of boiling water). Low-acid foods (vegetables and tomatoes and figs that are not acidified) must be processed in a pressure canner. The bacteria that produces botulinum toxin cannot grow in acid foods but can grow in low acid foods. These bacteria (Clostridium botulinum) have spores that survive hours of boiling water temperature. However, these spores are destroyed within a reasonable time at 240oF (the temperature reached inside a pressure canner set at 10 pounds pressure).

If low-acid food is processed in a water bath canner, botulinum spores on the food will survive. In the absence of air, a condition found inside a jar after processing, the spores become living bacteria. As the bacteria grow, they form toxin. Eating even a drop of this potent toxin can be fatal to humans and animals. Over 70% of the cases of botulism have been caused by low-acid foods that were improperly canned at home.

To make sure your home canned foods are safe, carefully follow the canning instructions in this bulletin. Process acid foods in a water bath canner and low-acid foods in a pressure canner. Never process any foods in a conventional oven, microwave oven, steamer or dishwasher, as these methods do not kill microorganisms that cause food spoilage and/or foodborne illness.Attribute by: pioneerliving.com

Family survival|Food preservation By Canning

Raising a garden and canning is not for nostalgia but for family survival and food preservation. In these times of uncertainties would it not be wise to learn how to can food.There is no guarantees that foods will always be readily available or affordable for some. Even if you do not raise a garden buy bulks of food at farmers markets and can all of that food if you do not have a place for a garden. All canned food should be eaten with in 2 years if kept out of the light.I you would like to learn how to can or gets some tips about canning Read more…